‘Been there, done that’ is a common expression most often uttered by individuals who have accomplished a task and, sometimes out of boredom or disinterest, choose not to continue down the same path.
Muncy’s Austin Johnson and Montgomery’s Brandt Harer have certainly mastered the four-word phrase, but it has only been the opponents they have encountered on the mats inside Hershey’s Giant Center who wish the Lycoming County pair had not returned for a 2025 encore.
Coming back to the zenith of Pennsylvania high school wrestling, the Indian and the Red Raider proudly stood atop the multi-tiered podium, gold medals hanging from their necks in celebration of their second state championship performance. Johnson won the 215-pound title with a 5-2 decision over Bishop McDevitt’s Lucas Lawler, while Harer dispatched McDevitt teammate Camden Dunn 1-0 at 139 pounds.
Wrestling and winning state championships are synonymous branches of the family trees in both households. Austin’s brother, Scott, won a PIAA title in 2022 while claiming a bronze medal in 2023 and is continuing his wrestling career at Clarion University. Brandt’s older brother, Connor, captured three consecutive state championships and competed in the Big Ten wrestling tournament this year as a freshman at Rutgers. Father/coach Denny has surpassed 330 coaching wins and is a member of District IV’s wrestling Hall of Fame.
Johnson ends his Muncy career with a personal record of 156-5, the second-most wins in school history, and a two-time state champion, winning in 2023 and finishing second in 2024. He was a four-time sectional and regional champion and won three District IV titles.
Harer completes his junior year at Montgomery, winning two consecutive state championships and a personal victory streak of 110 matches won.
The thrill of victory and the sacrifices made to get there are embedded in the minds of both wrestlers.
“It means so much to me,” Johnson described. “I want to win every tournament. Ending my senior year and going out like that is something that I looked forward to and wanted to do. All through high school, my goal was always trying to get better every year. My biggest fear is never to regress. I tried to keep getting better, and it worked out.”
Harer responded similarly, “It’s very meaningful knowing that it is my second one. I had my dad in my corner for the second straight year. I am very blessed for that, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
For both, their initial interest in wrestling began in Muncy, following family led the way.
“I used to watch my brother Scott wrestle,” Johnson reflected. “I was about five, and it just looked like so much fun. I kept asking my parents to wrestle, but they wouldn’t allow me to do that until I was seven. I really wasn’t mature enough, and all I did was roll around on the mat. But once they gave me permission, I started going to clubs and tried to wrestle as much as I could during the year.”
Harer was also five when the wrestling bug first hit.
“I would tag along to my dad’s high school practices when he was coaching at Muncy. I began wrestling with elementary kids and had fun. After that, the sport became a part of my life, and I’ve been competing and enjoying it ever since. Every day, I’m still learning about wrestling and developing my skills.”
Ascending the state tournament trail wasn’t only the opponent Johnson was trying to defeat.
“This year was different than the other years. I’m not sure why, maybe because I was amped up, but I’ve had some issues with sleeping. At Hershey, I spent a lot of time at the hotel, trying to take a nap and relax. The day of the state finals, I weighed in, had a breakfast sandwich and did a light workout just to break a sweat, and went back to the hotel. My match wasn’t until 4:00 p.m., so I did the best I could to relax.”
Harer’s challenges developed before the wrestling season even began.
“I developed what I thought was a normal sickness that led to a disease called RiHM, and my body reacted to it. I lost 25-30 pounds and was hospitalized for eight days, about a month before the season began. As I recovered, I would be four or five pounds under the weight class at weigh-ins, and the kids I wrestled would be right at the weight class limits. It didn’t make that much difference, but it would have been nice to have had that extra four or five pounds of muscle for those matches.”
Harer’s 1-0 triumph over Dunn came a year after the same pair matched up in the 2024 state title match — also won by Harer via a 2-1 overtime decision.
“I wouldn’t say close matches change my wrestling style, but I have to wrestle smarter. I know what I am good at doing, and I just have to hold position. I know if it is a close match, you are going to have to go bottom, so I just try to hold my position while on my feet. It was a great atmosphere, and I enjoy going out on the mat and doing what I love to do.”
For Johnson, his senior season has been an eight-month victory tour as he helped lead the Muncy football team into the PIAA Class AA state semi-finals. A battering ram running back, he topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark in four straight seasons on the gridiron. During his storied career, he ran for more than 6,300 yards, scoring 94 touchdowns, second only in area history to South Williamsport’s Dominick Bragalone’s 8,718 yards and 128 touchdowns.
“For me, football was a different feeling when I was in season because I knew I was never going to play the sport again. I had a similar feeling while wrestling because I knew I was never going to wrestle in the Muncy singlet again. It is hard for me to compare the two sports. I enjoyed playing both sports, and with each one, I tried to take it one day at a time, not try to rush anything, and do the best I could.”
Headed into next season, both state champions have set their sights on future goals. For Johnson, he will be switching from a Muncy Indian to an Oklahoma State Cowboy.
“Last April, I chose to attend Oklahoma University,” Johnson explained. “Then my club coach, David Taylor, got the coaching job at Oklahoma State. Coach Taylor has taught me so much, both about wrestling and life in general, I knew I wanted to wrestle for him. We talked, and I went to Oklahoma State for a visit and then made the decision to switch schools.”
Harer is contemplating plans for a trip to Virginia Beach in a few weeks for nationals. “If not, I’m just going to train and lift with my coaches in the off-season and get ready and look forward to the upcoming season.”
Their careers and state championships brought back to Lycoming County have been shared with their respective communities, for which both grapplers are most appreciative.
“I’ve had a lot of support from the Muncy community. Muncy is pretty tight-knit, and everybody reaches out to support one another. That support has meant a lot to me,” stressed Johnson.
“We are a small school, but there are a lot of people that have supported me,” echoed Harer. We had an assembly at school recognizing all the accomplishments our wrestlers have had. That was pretty cool. We’re small, but we have quite a lot of support around us.”
The Indians and Red Raiders may be autonomous tribes linked together by a few miles of Route 405, but those smoke signals coming from each of their reservations are sending the same message, ‘We are the champions!’
